Director General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at media conference 13th April 2020. Image: LMMNews screen grab.

It’s the return of the working week in the UK after the Easter weekend, but the working is anything but normal.

It’s day 23 of the emergency restrictions and another 717 have been reported as having died in hospitals with over 1,500 care homes having residents affected, and many of them dying from the disease.

As the UK struggles to live with the global pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is ‘ten times more deadly than swine flu.’

Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the United Kingdom government for a donation of £200 million to support the battle to research and develop a vaccine.

We greatly appreciate this demonstration of global solidarity.

We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly – 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic.

We know that the virus can spread more easily in crowded environments like nursing homes.

We know that early case-finding, testing, isolating caring for every case and tracing every contact is essential for stopping transmission.

We know that in some countries, cases are doubling every 3 to 4 days.

However, while COVID-19 accelerates very fast, it decelerates much more slowly.

In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up.

In the context of history with more than 100,000 deaths globally reported on 10th April COVID-19 is expected to greatly exceed those who died from Swine-Flu in 2009-10.

An estimated 50 million people died from the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-19.

Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros. #coronavirus https://t.co/4dc4IqimI0

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 13, 2020

AFP graphic showing deadly plagues, epidemics and pandemics throughout history pic.twitter.com/oFWkMsowfi

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 14, 2020

Growing concern in the UK about the scale of deaths in care homes

It’s been reported that at least 1,500 care homes have been affected by coronavirus infections.

That’s 13.5% of all establishments.

The government’s Chief Scientific Advisor said at the Downing Street media conference on Easter Monday 13th April the acceleration in infections had been so fast in the previous 24 hours the coronavirus had been detected in 92 care homes.

The daily figure for hospital deaths in the UK had shown a decline to 717.

The British media have been focusing on discussion about how long the lockdown will last as people began day 23 of living with the emergency restrictions.

They’re expected to last another three weeks.

Downing Street argued that the testing regime is ‘heading in the right direction’ despite the overall  hospital death toll passing 11,000.

The government says it is still on course to carry out the Government’s pledge of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of the month.

18,000 had been conducted in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.

Nearly 43,000 of NHS frontline staff and their families had been tested so far.

UK coronavirus deaths rise above 11,000, government grapples with economic toll https://t.co/YE8P4iJbGh pic.twitter.com/vB97Vkovf5

— Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) April 13, 2020

The continuation of lockdown in the UK leads many of Tuesday’s papers as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was too soon to lift restrictions put in place to halt the spread of coronavirus.https://t.co/OOryQTy5MJ

— PA Media (@PA) April 14, 2020

The largest lockdown operation in the world has been taking place in India where the government has decided that it must continue until May 3rd.

India’s Prime Minister Modi said lives of his people are more important despite the damage to the country’s economy.

#UPDATE India’s nationwide lockdown, the biggest imposed in the world over the pandemic, is to be extended until at least May 3.

“From the economic angle, we have paid a big price,” PM Modi says in nationwide address. “But the lives of the people of India are far more valuable” pic.twitter.com/0QxJM3MLCl

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 14, 2020

Combative US President rounds on ‘disgraceful’ and ‘fake news’ media.

President Donald Trump attacked the media during his latest White House briefing.

He presented a video promoting his administration’s handling of the crisis.

He has been accused of ‘re-writing the narrative.’

To one reporter challenging him he said:‘You’re so disgraceful. You know you are fake. You’re whole network is fake.’

Coronavirus: Trump berates media at jaw-dropping briefing https://t.co/2IAHChw71D

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) April 14, 2020